Teen Admits Terror Charges

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A 16 year old boy arrested in Northamptonshire has pleaded guilty to possessing explosive chemicals and bomb-making books and diagrams.

The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two terror charges and another offence at a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates' Court.

He admitted possessing explosive substances and a host of literature including a book on how to make the explosive Semtex.

The boy, who was arrested at his home in Northamptonshire in February 2012, admitted possessing explosive substances, namely sulphur powder and potassium nitrate, between 1 January 2012 and 26 February 2012.

He also admitted possession of numerous books and manuals, of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism between 1 October 2011 and 26 February 2012, contrary to Section 58(1)(b) of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Birmingham Crown Court also heard the boy had fantasised about shooting his schoolmates. His school can't be identified for legal reasons.

The texts in the boy's possession included; The Terrorist Handbook; The Black Book Companion: State-Of-The-Art Improvised Munitions; CIA Explosives For Sabotage Manual; Handbook of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents; Home Explosives Workshop; Home-made Semtex; Home-made C4 - A Recipe For Survival and Improved Landmines - Their Employment And Destructive Capabilities.

The boy also admitted possession of a quantity of prohibited images of children in Northamptonshire, on 26 February 2012.

A judge ordered him to be detained under the Mental Health Act.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Behan, from Northamptonshire Police CID, said: "It has been a little over a year since we began our investigation and I welcome the decision of the defendant to enter a guilty plea.

"Not only has this proven to be a complex investigation for us, it has also had a huge impact on the community in which the defendant lived.

"Throughout the year we have been in close contact with the school the defendant attended, in a bid to keep them and the students who shared classes with him informed of the investigation.

"Clearly, the nature of some of the evidence discovered as part of the investigation caused great concern and so it was vital that we worked closely with the school to ensure students who were featured in the defendant’s diaries received as much support as possible.

"I would like to reassure people in Northamptonshire that we do take their security extremely seriously and this case shows that we can and do act quickly and decisively when required to do so.

"This has been a unique investigation for us, and I must take this opportunity to thank the team of officers involved for their tenacity in what has been an extremely complex piece of work.

"The nature of what we discovered during the course of the investigation, meant we requested the specialist assistance of the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, who I must also thank."

Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds added: "The details revealed in this case have been shocking. This has been an intricate case for investigating officers who have spent the last year piecing together the details. I must commend them for that and assure people in Northamptonshire that we do not shy away from these difficult investigations."